


Red Scarves and Ribbons

by memoryweaver



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, Best Friends, F/M, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Gender or Sex Swap, Genderbending, Male-Female Friendship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-07
Updated: 2016-12-07
Packaged: 2018-09-07 03:59:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,011
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8782060
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/memoryweaver/pseuds/memoryweaver
Summary: A gender-bent series of one-shots involving Yamato (male Mikasa) and Arminna (female Armin).





	

Ten laps of the training yard was apparently, in the words of the instructor who had watched them like a hawk during the day’s exertions, ‘getting off lightly’. Those words rang over and over again in Arminna’s head as she jogged along, taking the occasional note of a fellow cadet passing her once and then again. During the first lap she had inwardly stressed the need for confidence and optimism and that if she struggled she could be reassured that in time and with rigorous further training she would be able to complete ten laps with ease. The second lap brought the discomfort of her knees and muscles, and she rather wearily determined that she had not performed the instructed stretches correctly. Everyone had completed eight hours of physical training and it was only their first day. Aches and pains were certainly to be expected.

By the third lap Arminna’s straight-cut fringe was slick with sweat and clinging to her forehead which, along with the rest of her face, was a furious shade of red and stinging due to the contrast with her bodily heat and the evening chill. She panted and coughed, a line of unbecoming drool trailing from the corner of her lips as she did so. Her hands fell loose from their clenched fists and instead flailed and flapped before her as she bobbed along. It was no longer possible for her to lift her feet from the ground and instead they dragged along the dirt and pebbles. Cadets continued to pass her blind to her struggle, either due to suffering the ill-effects of the hours past while completing their laps or simply because they did not have a care for a struggling comrade. 

Her body ached and protested so much that it was frankly a mercy when her body flopped ungracefully to the ground. Arminna did not have the energy to even catch herself and her face hit the mud with enough force to make her scream if she was strong enough. A pained whimper was the substitute and she felt her eyes prickle with tears, both due to the pain and the fact that people continued to pass her, the sound amplified a great deal with her face pressed against the ground.

She was able to isolate one of the sounds, a hurrying over from a direction that was not behind, until the footsteps came to a halt beside her. Arminna groaned in protest when a hand, delicate in touch yet firm all the same slid itself underneath her and eased her from the ground until she was sitting up. The saviour’s arms acted as support though her eyes were burning with tears and her lashes were clogged with pieces of mud. She whimpered in pain as she coughed, spurting mud from the corner of her lips quite ungraciously. 

“Don’t move,” the saviour said. From the deep voice, though the squeak of a voice recently-broken was clearly present, and the size of the shadowed figure, Arminna could tell that she was in the arms of a male. She gave a weak moan as a response before she lost sight of everything around her. The saviour dabbed gently at her face with something and Arminna, once the cloth had been retracted, found that she was able to see much more of what was around her.

“Do you need to go to a medic?” The saviour asked and Arminna quickly shook her head. The more she dealt with figures of authority around the training grounds, the more likely Arminna was to be transported to work in the fields and not as a soldier as she desired. 

She blinked heavily and noted that around the young man’s neck was a scarlet scarf, neatly knotted though the bottom corner was matted with pieces of partially dry mud. A feeling of guild arose in the pit of her stomach when she realised that she was the reason behind the ruined garment. Her hands found the fabric gingerly and she gave a heavy sigh of regret. 

“I’m sorry…”

The young man’s dark brows creased together and he shook his head. “For the scarf?”

“It’s so lovely and it’s ruined.” 

He shook his head again and flicked away a speck of dirt. “It will wash easily enough. We should get you inside.” 

“But-but…” Arminna began to panic in the stranger’s arms. She was not in the position to rise to her feet herself, nor could she even attempt to wriggle away to complete the task. If she did not finish the laps then she would be sent elsewhere. There would be no option for her to continue training and, upon her graduation, see what lay beyond the walls with her very own eyes. 

“It’s alright.” Without giving Arminna the opportunity to protest further he attempted to ease her to the feet. Upon realising that a newly born doe may have found standing easier, he shifted her weight in his arms until he was standing with her securely arranged within them. Arminna felt her cheeks begin to burn. Never, in her entire life had she been held by a boy before, let alone carried in his arms. The neighbourhood boys would usually make fun of her, either due to the books she read, her timid nature, or simply because she was so very short. 

“I’m heavy!” Her words were breathless as glanced quickly at her saviour’s face. There was no hint of struggle upon his strong yet simultaneously delicate features. He was pale, though not typically fair of complexion like Arminna. His eyes were a dark grey, a colour akin to the sky when a storm was looming yet there was so much tranquillity in his dark and gentle gaze. He stood tall for a male his age and Arminna was sure if she was standing up as straight as she could manage she would still only reach the middle of his chest. 

The boy said nothing to her statement and walked briskly across the training yard. An instructor watching the spectacle before him turned to give him a brief nod, signalling his consent for the two to enter the mess hall. “I should get down.” Arminna stated but the young man ignored her again and instead nudged open the door by turning his back against the wood. 

“You need some water.” Her saviour spoke the truth and she gave a small nod of her head as she was placed down upon one of the benches. He looked down her, scrutinising her movements to determine whether she was able to support herself before he gave a small nod of satisfaction and made his way over to retrieve a cup of water, along with a bowl so her dirtied face could be cleaned. 

As his back was turned, Arminna cleared her throat. She was both embarrassed and grateful for all he had done for her. Who could have known how long she would have remained on the floor had he not come to her rescue? 

“Thanks for saving me,” she whispered and briefly wondered if he heard her. By the slight incline of his head she gathered that he did. “I’m Arminna.” 

The boy walked over with the vessels of water and nodded again in acknowledgement. “Yamato.” He sat beside her on the bench leaving only a few inches between the two of them as he began to soak a piece of cloth in the water. “Drink it slowly,” he said as he offered her the cup. “We don’t want you being sick.” 

Arminna nodded in understanding and took a small sip. The water burned at the back of her throat though after the initial unpleasant sensation had vanished the cool liquid provided a great deal of relief. She followed Yamato’s instruction and took tiny sips of the water, causing her to wonder whether she was doing it for her own benefit or because she did not wish to embarrass herself further in front of Yamato. Her cheeks began to burn once more at the thought of it. Just why did she care so much about her own dignity? She had already shown herself up in front of everyone and in Yamato’s arms for that matter. It could not get much worse. 

“This will sting a little but we need to clean your face.” Yamato wrung the cloth, working his long fingers against the sodden material until he was contented that it was only a little damp. He reached forward to dab at her cheeks before he came to a pause when the cloth was only an inch before her face. “Would you like to do it?” 

“Oh,” Arminna’s voice was soft as she glanced at the offered cloth. “Sorry.” 

“I don’t mind. I know it’s wrong to touch a girl’s face without asking.” For such a large young man, Yamato appeared rather bashful an Arminna was sure by the way in which he shifted his head, allowing his straight hair to tumble to conceal as much of his cheeks that it would allow, that he was attempting to hide a blush of his own. 

“Er…” Arminna’s cheeks reddened further and she reached for another sip of water. Perhaps the glass would offer some concealment, albeit not much. “Y-y-you can do it.” 

Yamato nodded and proceeded to dab at her cheeks. Pain was inevitable but Arminna did not wince nor whimper, for he was trying his very best to be gentle. His eyes narrowed in concentration as he wiped away and on occasion their gazes would meet before he quickly turned away. 

“The rest of you might feel better once you’ve had a warm shower,” he informed her once the task was complete. Arminna noted that he said ‘you’ rather than ‘your body’ but she imagined that mere mention of it would cause the two of them to become even more bashful. Even the thought caused her temperature to increase. “Your friends are probably wondering where you are.” 

“I usually keep to myself,” Arminna quickly corrected. She knew that pretending that she did have friends would risk making matters difficult for her in the long run. Nobody seemed to want to be her friend and so she was used to keeping her own company. 

“I do too.” 

Arminna’s brows raised in surprise and she shook of her head. Surely, if she was a boy, she would be eager to be his friend, to have a buddy within the barracks just as many of the girls seemed to have. “You should have friends!” 

Yamato frowned and shook his head. A pale hand rose to tug lightly at the wrapping of his scarf around his neck and he shrugged. A long silence stretched between them and Arminna began to regret her statement. She had not contemplated that perhaps Yamato was as shy as she was. 

“Well, maybe…” His eyes flickered towards the door, as if he was initially reluctant to meet her eye before his gaze settled upon her. “Maybe we can be friends.” 

Arminna’s eyes widened at the prospect. The two of them looked so very different, starting obviously with the fact that he was a boy and she was a girl, along with the glaring height difference. She bit lightly down upon her lower lip and nodded. “Yes. Yes! Let’s be friends. You saved me today and you actually talked to me here. Nobody has done that before.” 

Yamato nodded though did not smile. Instead he came to his feet and offered Arminna his hand, which she gladly took for mere seconds so she could come to her feet. Her body still harboured a terrible ache though she knew she had to be brave in front of Yamato, even though she was sure he would easily catch her if she fell. 

“I will escort you to the showers,” he stated, though seemed to quickly realise his mistake. The two of them blushed, a more furious scarlet than beforehand, before he touched her arm and encouraged her to lead the way out of the mess hall.


End file.
